Beijing (AFP)

The first victim of the new coronavirus was well representative of the people who have died since the start of this viral pneumonia: he was a man, over 60 years old, and in poor health.

Since Beijing announced in December the appearance of this virus, similar to that of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), more than 24,300 people have been infected and 490 people have died in mainland China, according to a latest report released on Wednesday.

80% of the victims were aged 60 years or more and 75% already suffered from health problems, said Tuesday the National Health Commission (CNS), based on previous assessments.

The death rate stands at 2.1%, the Commission underlined, which is much lower than that of SARS (9.6%) which caused the death of 800 people across the planet in 2002-2003 , including 349 in mainland China and nearly 300 in Hong Kong.

More than 97% of the victims of the new virus are from Hubei (center), where a market selling live animals in the provincial capital, Wuhan, would be the epicenter of the epidemic.

The death rate of people infected outside Hubei is only 0.16%, according to the authorities.

Two people with the virus died outside of China. A 39-year-old man died in Hong Kong after traveling to Wuhan, and a Chinese tourist from the same city died in the Philippines.

The Commission also announced on Wednesday 892 cases of recovery across the country.

Here is what we know about deceased people:

Most victims are over 60

According to data from the health authorities, the dead were between 36 and 89 years old. At least five were under the age of 60.

The youngest, a 36-year-old man from Wuhan, was hospitalized on January 9 before dying of heart failure two weeks later, Hubei health officials said. They did not specify whether he previously suffered from health problems.

Among those discharged from the hospital are young patients, including a 35-year-old man from Shenzhen, a megalopolis in southern China, as well as a 10-year-old boy who traveled to Wuhan. A Beijing television channel announced Sunday that a 9-month-old girl infected in Beijing is recovering.

Many were already suffering from health problems

Many deceased people already suffered from health problems, including diabetes and hypertension, before contracting the coronavirus.

An 86-year-old man hospitalized on January 9 had undergone major surgery for colon cancer four years earlier and suffered from hypertension and diabetes.

An 80-year-old woman had Parkinson's disease, hypertension and diabetes for the past 20 years.

They didn't all have a fever

In China, the temperature is now controlled at airports, bus and train stations.

However, not all coronavirus deaths had a fever before their hospitalization, according to the CNS.

A 66-year-old man by the name of Luo simply complained of a "dry cough" on December 22, before reporting breathing difficulties a week later. In mid-January, he had to be placed on respiratory assistance.

"A major concern is the wide range of severity of symptoms that this virus generates," says Jeremy Farrar, director of the British foundation Wellcome Trust.

"It is clear that some people are infected and contagious when they have only very slight symptoms, or even no symptoms," he said.

© 2020 AFP